Rusten House

About

Rusten House, now known as Rusten House Art Centre, is a heritage-listed former hospital and nurses' dormitory at Antill Street, Queanbeyan, Queanbeyan-Palerang Region, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by W. H. Downey and built from 1859 to 1862 by Daniel Jordan and Gibson. It is the Old Queanbeyan Hospital and the Nurses Dormitory. It now hosts local and touring exhibitions as well as community and private events. The Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council owns it. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Queanbeyan town was around long before nearby Canberra and up until 1838 was called Quinbean, which means "clear waters". The Queanbeyan area is part of the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal Aboriginal people. Diseases and viruses brought by colonial settlers, such as smallpox and influenza, had a disastrous effect on local Aboriginal populations by the mid-19th century.

Europeans first arrived in the area on 8 December 1820. The area became a natural halting place for travellers crossing the (Molonglo) river into the Monaro (to the south) and by 1824 prospective settlers were establishing "stock stations" around the region. Old maps of 1833 show no fewer than 12 stations in the Molonglo, Gundaroo, Lake George and Bungendore area. The first Post Office was established in Crawford Street to service settlers in 1836, and in 1837 Cptn. Alured Tasker Faunce of the 4th (King's own) Regiment was appointed resident Police Magistrate.

Queanbeyan was officially proclaimed a township in 1838 with a population at that time of about 50. Traces of gold were discovered in 1851 and lead and silver mines also flourished briefly. Settlers were harassed by bushrangers, of which John Tennant, Jacky Jacky, Frank Gardiner and Ben Hall were some of the more notorious.

Queanbeyan District Hospital began as an initiative of local citizens who formed a Benevolent Society in 1847 to operate a hospital for the indigent sick and injured. MaryAnn Rusten was the foundation matron of the institution and the hospital initially operated in a rented cottage in "Irishtown".

Rusten House was built to replace the Benevolent Asylum, to serve the more affluent community.

In 1847 there was the foundation meeting of the Queanbeyan District Hospital.

In 1859 W. H. Downey was appointed to draw up plans for a hospital building. He submitted a design for a stone building 74' long by 32' wide, to accommodate up to 16 patients. Tenders were submitted to erect the building. Local builders Daniel, Jordan and Gibson started construction. The building was completed in 1861.

In 1862 a ball was held to celebrate opening the new hospital. The Rusten family moved in to the new hospital.

In 1865 the hospital received its first subsidy from the Government of New South Wales.

In 1868 George Campbell became President of the Hospital Committee, marking the beginning the Campbell family's association with the hospital. In 1870 oaks ( Quercus sp.), elms ( Ulmus procera ) and pine ( Pinus sp.) trees were planted in the grounds.

In 1871 Thomas Jordan was commissioned to build a kitchen with a brick floor. In 1875 Matron Rusten died in office and a wash house and covered passageway were erected. In 1876 two iron ships' tanks were installed to serve as rainwater tanks for the building. In 1877 Dr. Sidney Longden Richardson started his association with the hospital, which lasted 41 years. In 1878 the Committee called for tenders to erect guttering and pipes to run water from the roof to the tanks.

In 1884 the hospital treated 42 patients. In 1885 Thomas Jordan erected a large ward at the eastern end of the building as a fever ward. The hospital treated 98 patients.

In 1886 the authorities increased the fee payable by the railway contractor. As a result, the contractor started his own hospital in the Kent House Hotel to treat his workers. In 1887 the hospital treated 35 patients and in 1889 18 patients.

In 1890 the Committee decided not to admit pauper patients, except those sent by the police. In 1891 the Committee decided to only admit patients recommended by a subscriber to the hospital. Dr Patrick Blackall commenced a long association with the hospital. Dr Blackall later became the foundation President of the Queanbeyan-Canberra Medical Society.

In 1892 the NSW Government applied the 1880 Hospital Act to Queanbeyan Hospital. This Act obliged the institution to accept all patients regardless of whether they could pay, or had been recommended by a subscriber. The hospital's land was enclosed by a fence and the buildings re-roofed with galvanised iron, and a skylight installed in the boardroom.

In 1895 hospital buildings were roofed with galvanised iron. There was also a mortuary in use, the site of which is now unknown. A skylight was installed in the board room.

Changing social attitudes saw the hospital's role change, and by the early 20th century it was a community hospital. Replaced by present hospital during the 1930s, it became a nurses' dormitory. It has been renamed after Matron Mary Rusten.

In 1924 plans for a new building on the site were drawn up. In 1933 the new hospital opened and Rusten House was converted for use as a nurses' dormitory. It was later used for ancillary purposes over the decades. The addition of internal partition walls and bathrooms presumably date to the time of its adaptation as a dormitory. At some stage the northern verandah was enclosed, and the southern verandahs rebuilt in wider form and enclosed to provide greater workspace and better internal circulation. The space between Rusten House and the Fever Ward was enclosed and subdivided to provide spaces for an office, bathroom and tea room. A doorway was cut through the stone wall to provide access from part of Rusten House to the bathroom, and a large opening cut through the brick wall of the Fever Ward to enable access to the tea room.

In 1988 a permanent conservation order was placed on Rusten House. Rusten House the original hospital building and its landscape setting was included on the NSW State Heritage Register in 1999.